ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — electricity
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — child
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a ring
  13. current — happening now
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — electric
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — in control
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. charge — a price
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com